Jaguar’s BMW 3 Series fighter may still be more than a year away from our shores, but it is taking the Paris Motor Show by storm. From it (almost) all-aluminum chassis — Jaguar claims to have invented a new alloy (RC5754) specifically for the XE in its quest for lightness and increased stiffness — to an all-new range of Ingenium engines, the XE is a huge commitment from the relatively small luxury marque to finally make inroads into the fiercely-competitive entry-level luxury segment.
Roughly 75 per cent of Jaguar’s RC5754 aluminum chassis is made up of recycled metal.
Handout, Jaguar
RC5754 is made mostly of recycled metal, making a phenomenal contribution to Jaguar’s goal of using 75 percent recycled materials by 2020. Meanwhile, its light weight makes the XE the most fuel efficient Jaguar ever with a EU-rated fuel consumption of just 75 mpg (3.8 L/100km), getting the baby Jag below the magic 100 g/km CO2 emissions mark.
Of course, a significant portion of the credit for this newfound greenness is Jaguar Land Rover’s range of new Ingenium engines. Based on a new, modular 500 cc-per-cylinder superstructure means anything from a 1.5-litre inline three to a 3.0L V6 is possible and in both diesel and gasoline (or, as they on this side of the pond, petrol) variants.
Along with its aluminum chassis, the XE will usher in a new family of engines, known as ‘Ingenium’.
Handout, Jaguar
The first two will be 163 and 180 horsepower diesels, both helping Jaguar claim that incredible 3.8 L/100 km NCEC combined fuel economy figure. At launch, however, they will be joined by the existing range of gasoline-fed 2.0-litre turbocharged fours (as seen in the Evoque) and 3.0-litre supercharged V6s (XF, XJ and pretty much everything else that Jaguar Land Rover makes). All will be mated to now de rigeueur eight-speed automatic transmissions in North America.
Inside, the XE is equally high tech. The powerful new InControl infotainment system will, for instance, allow you to open the XE’s door or start its engine from anywhere in the world (if you’re wondering why you’d like to start your Jaguar from upper Slobovia, consider yourself as confused by this technology as Yours Truly). Seven-day timed pre-sets of the XE’s climate control system seem a little more useful though to be truthful, I like my “climate” pretty much the same on a Tuesday as I do a Thursday.
The XE is equally high-tech inside with its new InControl infotainment system.
Handout, Jaguar
More useful is that InControl lets you access you Apple of Android apps inside the car and the XE can even act as a Wi-Fi hotspot. For multiple devices no less, meaning that virtually everyone inside an XE can be ignoring everyone else because they’re texting. I actually do see this last as a distinct advantage.
Jaguar also says its laser head-up display (HUD) an industry-first, projecting a sharper, higher-contrast image on the windshield than previous systems. No more excuse, then, for not knowing how fast you were going, officer, or missing that “next right hand turn, please” the GPS system was directing you to.
